“What’s a little derby day tension between soulmates?
Love, Football, and 65 Years of Rivalry and Romance
On the surface, Bob and Val’s story is a classic love tale. A chance meeting outside a snooker hall in 1956 led to a lifetime together, four children, 12 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren.
However, beneath that, there’s been a 65-year rivalry that flares up twice a season when Manchester United and Manchester City go head-to-head.
Bob (85), a staunch City fan, and Val (85), a lifelong United supporter, had their allegiances set long before they met.
Their footballing loyalties were inherited and passed down by their fathers, who took them to games as children. Bob’s first City match was in 1947, just after the war. “It was magic walking into Maine Road for the first time,” he recalls.
Val’s journey to United began in 1948, though at first, her dad left her behind in London while he went off to watch Blackpool face United in the FA Cup.
“I couldn’t believe it when he didn’t take me,” she laughs. “But he made up for it after that. We never missed a match.”
Thanks to his railway job and free travel passes, she got to follow United home and away.
The football divide surfaced the very night they met. Bob had been playing snooker with his mate when he bumped into Val outside what would later become Bernard Manning’s Embassy Club.
As they walked together, Bob popped the question—not about marriage, but about football: “Who do you support?”
“United.”
“I’m City.”
Bob shrugged. “Well, that’s that then.”
But of course, it wasn’t.
Football was never a deal-breaker, though it has led to its fair share of moments. Derby days have been tense.
One early in their relationship nearly caused a full-blown domestic when they made a pact not to celebrate in each other’s company.
“I sat there when Bestie scored, biting my lip,” Val remembers. Bob, however, broke the truce when City equalised, leaping in the air and betraying his promise. “I just couldn’t help myself,” he admits. City won 3-1. Val wasn’t happy. “He was sleeping on the couch that night.”
Over the years, they’ve witnessed the highs and lows of their respective teams. For Val, nothing beats United’s 1968 European Cup triumph under Matt Busby.
“Seeing them lift that trophy, after everything Busby had been through, was one of the proudest moments of my life,” she says.
Bob, meanwhile, still reminisces about City’s First Division title win the same year, clinched at Newcastle’s ground. “We did it in style,” he grins. “Typical City.”
Their love for football extends beyond the Manchester divide. Both enjoy horse racing, though Bob has a passion for cricket that Val just can’t share.
When it comes to players, their choices are personal. Val holds Roger Byrne in high regard, cherishes Eric Cantona’s charisma, and still speaks with reverence about Duncan Edwards, the young United star lost in the Munich air disaster. “He would have been England’s greatest ever player,” she says with certainty.
Bob, ever the City man, praises Colin Bell’s work rate but confesses his all-time favourite was actually George Best. “At 16 or 17, he was doing things no one had ever seen before,” he says, admiration undiminished by club rivalry. “I hated when he played against us, but you couldn’t take your eyes off him.”
Despite all the ups and downs in football, Bob and Val have made it work for 65 years. Their secret? “Never go to bed on an argument,” says Bob. “Always be truthful,” adds Val, recalling her mother-in-law’s advice from early in their marriage:
“If he puts his coat on to go to the pub, you get yours on as well!”
Their family’s football loyalties are mixed. Their eldest son follows City, but another son ended up a Liverpool fan—a twist Bob blames on himself for not taking him to Maine Road often enough. “Biggest mistake of my life,” he jokes.
Their daughters, meanwhile, remain largely indifferent. “They just roll their eyes at us on derby day,” Val laughs.
As the next Manchester Derby looms on April 6th, the predictions are as divided as ever. “United will win,” insists Val. “City have got to win,” counters Bob. But there’s one thing they can agree on:
“Win or lose, we’ll ‘av a booze.”
And after 65 years of football and love, what’s a little derby day tension between soulmates?
ALL OUR THANKS TO BOB AND VAL.
ALL IMAGES TAKEN BY THE AMAZING DEBS PARR.
YOU CAN FOLLOW DEBS ON INSTRAGRAM HERE: @debsparrphotographer
Bob and Aunty Val are also being exhibited at the Photo North Festival 11-13th April: https://www.photonorthfestival.co.uk/festival